Vaccines May Be A Permanent Solution, But Washing Hands Is The Most Appropriate Solution For Now

JAKARTA - The number of COVID-19 cases in the world continues to increase. Various things were done in order to minimize transmission. Vaccines are an option. Unfortunately, an option that still takes a long time. Going back to basics is probably the best option at the moment. When people keep talking about the importance of washing hands. Recent research reminds us of its importance.

A new study shows that the survival of SARS-CoV-2 or the virus that causes COVID-19 for nine hours more on human skin. This can increase the risk of transmission through direct contact. SARS-CoV-2 lasts longer on human skin than influenza A virus.

To find out, scientists evaluated the stability of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A viruses mixed with culture media or upper respiratory mucus placed on the surface of human skin. From these experiments, it can be seen that the effectiveness of ethanol skin disinfection is 80 percent against SARS-CoV-2 and IAV.

Quoted from the journal entitled Survival of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus on the human skin: Importance of hand hygiene in COVID-19 from Oxford University, it is explained that the survival of SARS-CoV-2 on the skin is longer than on surfaces such as steel, rubber or plastic. SARS-CoV-2 on human skin can last up to 10.22 hours-12.00 hours.

This duration is certainly longer than the influenza A virus which lasts for 1.57 hours-1.81 hours on human skin. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus in mucus or medium on human skin can be completely inactivated within 15 seconds with ethanol treatment.

The research supports the echo spread by world health authorities that washing hands can ward off COVID-19. The virus that sticks to your hands will last for hours. However, if hand hygiene is maintained by washing hands with soap, the virus can be deactivated.

"In conclusion, this study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may have a higher risk of contact than IAV (influenza A) because it is much more stable on human skin than the previous one. These findings support the hypothesis that proper hand hygiene is important for the community to prevent spread. SARS-CoV-2. "

The journal also states that this research can contribute to the development of better control strategies in the context of COVID-19. By knowing the weaknesses of SARS-CoV-2, the public can prevent the second or third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic from occurring.

However, there are still some limitations of this study. First, only one strain of SARS-CoV-2 and only one strain of influenza were used. Furthermore the PR8 strain was used as an influenza strain instead of a clinically relevant isolate. It is necessary to further increase the number of viral strains and to continue research in the future, to understand what this is.

In addition, this study only used 3 skin samples from autopsy specimens and 3 mucus samples. Due to the small sample size, in future clinical studies, the team of scientists plans to increase the sample size and evaluate the clinical background of the patient.

Since the beginning of the emergence of COVID-19, the public has been warned that the first line of defense is maintaining good personal hygiene. Wash hands with soap and water after activities and before preparing food. If you are coughing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or elbow. If you are already using your palms, don't forget to wash your hands immediately with running water and soap.